If someone were to ask you “Who’s your favorite mousepad manufacturer?”, what would you say? This list is rather short, and not many companies are known for their pads alone. SteelSeries is one of those companies that many PC enthusiasts will mention, because they keep delivering innovative products to a category that many think of as mundane: mousepads.
Many polycarbonite or plastic mousepads are slick, and are dubbed “performance” pads because the mouse can slide all the way to Alberquerque with a single flick. Other pads offer “control”, which usually means more friction between the pad and the mouse. A good cloth mousepad, such as the SteelSeries QcK Heavy is a great example of a mat offering a high degree of control. What about the user who wants a good degree of control AND high performance at the same time?
SteelSeries has developed a new mousing surface (mousepad if you will) called the SteelSeries SP Pro Gaming Surface. This is a hard plastic mat which aims to please performance gamers and traditional office-jockeys. The SP improves upon the SteelSeries S&S’s hard plastic surface with several new features, with a new stay-put rubber base to a funky textured surface that has quite an optical illusion.
SteelSeries SP Product Description:
- Extremely durable hard plastic mousepad
- Macroscopic texture offers minimal friction Medium-sized, optimised for optical and laser
- Two component mousepad; plastic surface with rubber bottom
SteelSeries SP is a macroscopic-textured, hard plastic mousepad designed for competitive gamers demanding precision, accuracy and stability from their mousing surface. The responsive gaming-grade surface of SteelSeries SP offers minimal friction, even for gamers applying a high force of contact on their mice.
The surface is compatible with optical and laser mouse technologies and was developed and fine-tuned in co-operation with professional Counter-Strike players from mousesports, SK Gaming, Team 3D and compLexity.
A non-slip rubber base ensures that the mousepad doesn’t slide, even during the most frantic gaming sessions.
The SP Pro Gaming pad comes in a large zippered vinyl bag, which contains the pad itself, a pack of SteelSeries Glide MS mouse feet, two SteelSeries stickers, and a flip-through catalog to remind you of all the other great products SteelSeries makes. The bag’s zipper doesn’t have metal teeth, but a plastic “groove and notch” similar to a Zip-Lock freezer bag. The bag also serves as a handy carrying case for taking your gaming rig to a LAN party, but we really know it’s a status symbol that your mousepad is awesome.
The mousepad is made of hard plastic that has been molded to have a rough texture. The underside of the pad has a highly textured rubber coating, which has been glued in place rather than the “sprayed rubber” stucco we’ve seen on the S&S.
Sandwiched between these layers (or imprinted into the plastic, I can’t really tell) is a funky design. At first the pattern looks grey, but you’ll notice that it catches the light in such a way that the graphic looks 3d, and gives the pad depth. I’m not sure if this feature is meant to track better with optical and laser mice, or purely for aesthetics, but it does make you notice.
Although the pad has a texture, it doesn’t feel rough like a cloth pad, and isn’t entirely slick like a smooth plastic pad. It’s sort of in-between. The surface is slick, but has lots of minute bumps and craters that grab onto the mouse when moving slowly, but allow the rodent to glide by when moving quickly. I’ve heard of people having problems with laser mice with this surface, but we tested it with several optical and wireless mice, including the Microsoft Natural Wireless 6000 and Razer Lachesis, and none of them had any problems or tracking issues.
The new surface doesn’t offer the exact same control as a cloth pad, however. Many gamers have a wired mouse, and the cord on these mice can sometimes bunch up and push back on the mouse, causing your mouse to move downwards when you lift your hand off. Some mice have weight cartridges (like the Hades Gaming mouse reviewed here), which helps alleviate this problem, but the type of pad you have also helps.
The more weight you have + the friction of the mousepad = the likeliness of your corded mouse staying put. Light mouse and a slick mousepad means that your rodent scurries away as soon as you release it. A heavy mouse on a cloth pad means that your peripheral is staying put. Our mouse strayed about as much as a slick pad when the cord has some potential energy built up.
The plastic surface also has other pros and cons. Since it’s plastic, it is completely waterproof… you can spill various liquids on it all day and it will not stain, become discolored, or warp. But, since it doesn’t breathe, then you’ll notice that your wrists will become sweaty after a few minutes.
The SteelSeries SP Gaming Pad has a good amount of control, but still glides smoothly when you want it to. The size is adequate, as well: it’s not too big and not too small. Since the pad is made from rigid plastic, it doesn’t bend or otherwise contour to any seams on your desk. The thin rubber coat keeps the mouse in place quite efficiently, and also cushions the pad against all the potato chip crumbs and Oreo dust you likely have on your desk, too.
The SteelSeries SP Gaming Surface is currently my favorite mousepad. It actually does enable fast movement coupled with control when you want it. If you don’t like slick mousepads, then this textured pad won’t change your mind, but it does offer more control than other smooth plastic pads.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||